Something to Talk About
by multipleshadesofpurple
Summary: "We accept the love we think we deserve."
1. Chapter 1

Something to Talk About

Chapter One:

"I Got the Boy"

 _I saw your picture in the paper_

 _Honeymoon in Jamaica, she's a lucky girl_

 _You look so grown up in your black tux_

 _From a ballcap in a pickup, seems like another world_

 _Jana Kramer, "I Got the Boy"_

"Honey? Can you grab the paper?" Stacy called to her husband, filling the coffee pot in front of her.

"Sure thing." Mark came stomping down the stairs, it took a lot of hard work and months of physical therapy before he had finally regained the use of his legs. He was finally happy again. Throwing the door open, he stepped out into the warm sunlight and took a deep breath of the budding Dogwood carried on the wind from the neighbor's yard. Briskly walking down the drive, enjoying the sound of gravel crunching beneath his feet, Mark waved at the old lady walking her dog before he bent and picked up the paper. Clasping the thick paper beneath his arm, he half-jogged back to the house, tossing the paper on the table as he entered the kitchen and looked for a coffee mug.

"Thank you," Stacy said from behind him, having entered the room drying her hands. She grabbed her ceramic mug from the counter and took a seat at the table, taking a sip of the scorching liquid before pulling the paper toward her. The pair were quiet as Mark moved around, fixing himself eggs and bacon, as Stacy thumbed through the paper. She paused on the 'Announcements' section, shaking her head and laughing ever so slightly at the photograph that reached her eyes.

"What?" Mark glanced over his shoulder, keeping one eye on the sizzling bacon on the stove.

"Doctor Gregory House and Doctor Allison House, nee Cameron, are pleased to announce their marriage on December 19, 2016. The newlyweds, who departed for a two-week honeymoon in Jamaica following the ceremony, wish to thank those who attended and sent gifts."

"Dr. Cameron…and House? How did that ass coerce her into marrying him?"

"He's wearing a tux. That must have taken months of begging and threatening."

"I guess everyone deserves to be happy…" Mark trailed, turning his back to Stacy.

Trailing a finger across the black and white photograph, Stacy took in every detail she could. House was smiling, a genuine, hearty smile that reached his eyes – one that she hadn't seen him wear since before the surgery on his leg. She couldn't quite tell, the photograph was cut off at their waists, but it looked like he had his arm wrapped around Allison – the young doctor Stacy remembered as having quite the crush on House during her short stint as Princeton Plainsboro's legal counsel. Allison looked every bit the beautiful, blushing bride in her white, lace gown and curled, elegant updo. That thought drew Stacy to House's hair – he had gotten it cut and styled. He lacked the messy strands that always added to eccentricity.

"Are you still looking at that?" Stacy jumped as Mark placed his plate on the table, turning to grab his coffee mug before having a seat.

"I'm shocked. I never pictured Greg as the marrying type."

"Because he wouldn't marry you?" Stacy's wide-eyed look had Mark choking down the egg he had stuffed in his mouth as fast as he could without suffocating. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair of me."

"I never thought of marrying Greg. Like I said, I didn't think he was the marrying type and if I had spent time dwelling on marriage to him, it would have only made me miserable."

"Then why be with him at all? I mean, what's the point of dating someone if marriage isn't the end goal?"

"Love."

"You love him?" Mark's accusing tone was slightly more perceptive than Stacy would have guessed – almost as if he had put a lot of thought into the possibility of her loving House.

"I loved him."

"But not anymore?"

"I don't love him anymore, but I do care for him. We share a history after all. I'm sure you still care for all the girls who came before me."

"Girl."

"What?"

"There weren't girls before you. There was _a_ girl."

"Okay…I'm sure you still care for this girl, too."

"Maybe, but there's no worry of me doing anything with her."

"Is that what this is about? You think I want to run off and do something with Greg?" Stacy narrowed her eyes at Mark and tightened her grip on the paper, crumbling the faces beneath her fingers.

"You haven't already?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Stacy," Mark used his index finger to rub at the crease in the middle of his forehead, "what really happened between you and House when you were working for PPTH?"

Memories of intensely frustrating arguments, heated taunting, and stolen kisses flashed through Stacy's mind. She tried not to blush as she remembered that one time, after Greg had accused her of trying to run away from him, she had fallen back into House's bed. "Countless arguments and attempts at manipulation simply because he thought he should be allowed to do what he wanted consequences be damned."

That wasn't that far from the truth – there had been plenty of arguments between the two, but her entire time working with House hadn't been horrible. They had had several moments to bond, most notoriously over that awful rat he spent days trying to kill for her, only to end up capturing it, curing it, and keeping it as a pet. There had also been that time they had gotten stranded at the airport overnight – even though he had spent most of his time trying to solve his team's most recent life-threatening case.

His team. Stacy wondered if Doctor Cameron was still a member of that team – if Cuddy would even allow that. House never did work well when he mixed his with work, or rather, when he _knew_ he was mixing his emotions with his work. She couldn't think of one single scenario that would allow House and Doctor Cameron to continue working together…and she could not imagine Cameron walking away from Princeton Plainsboro. Most likely, there would have been a department change.

"I'm going to clean up and go for a run." Mark chose to exit the conversation, leaving his unspoken allegations balancing in the air as he stood from the table and Stacy finally flipped the newspaper.

 _You and me had big dreams, falling in love_

 _We were two kids in the backseat, all fearless and young_

One month later, Stacy sat in the cafeteria at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital deep in conversation with Doctor Lisa Cuddy.

"Everything has just been so…so hectic around here. More so than usual," Cuddy said with a breathy chuckle as she shoved her salad around her plate with the fork in her hand.

"A certain doctor causing more trouble than normal?" Stacy laughed.

"He hasn't been a problem the last month. Of course he was gone for two weeks and I am still waiting for all hell to break lose soon. He's even been doing his clinic hours."

"I assume that is all Doctor Cameron's doing?" Stacy hoped the bitter undertone in her voice had gone unnoticed by Lisa – she had even surprised herself with her tone.

"Doctor House."

"Pardon?"

"She officially stopped using Cameron about a week ago. I now have two doctor House's on my staff."

"You poor thing!"

"Fortunately for me, one is a decent, well-behaved human being who has made the other slightly more well-behaved."

"Allison has tamed him?" Stacy's voice went an octave higher in surprise – she hadn't thought anyone would manage to get through to House.

"Marriage, love suits him. It's almost, _almost_ like he's a different man – even lets Allison call him 'Greg'."

"I didn't think he was capable of loving someone."

"That's not completely fair." Lisa narrowed her eyes at Stacy while she moved the food around on her plate, her stomach had been uneasy all morning.

"What have you been up to, Lisa? It's been so long since we've had a chance to truly talk." Stacy quickly took a bite of the tuna sandwich before her – buying time to keep from mentioning House once more.

"Work, work, and more work." Lisa reached for her glass of tea, taking a sip and hoping it would settle her stomach.

"You haven't just been up to work," Stacy laughed, nodding at Lisa's hand, "I noticed that ring! Who's the lucky man?"

Lisa looked down at her ring finger, smiling at the square, solitaire diamond nestled in its platinum band.

"Doctor Wilson."

"You and James? Since when?"

"We started dating last year – about six months after House and Allison."

"Well, I think he's been good for you. You seem happier and more relaxed than I have ever seen you. But you aren't eating."

"Oh, I think I have this stomach bug that's been floating around here. It's nothing, I just feel a little upset to my stomach."

"Have you had it checked? And don't give me any of that 'I'm a doctor' crap."

"I will have it checked after lunch."

Stacy raised an eyebrow in her friend's direction, knowing all too well how Lisa was when it came to her own health. "Don't make me tell James. Since I've learned that he has some pull over you."

"James would certainly hound me."

Stacy's attention was pulled from Lisa at the sound of a familiar, not so familiar chuckle coming from the lunch line. Her mouth fell open ever so slightly at the sight of both Doctor House's ordering food and exchanging conversation. The younger Doctor House looked to be glowing and completely at ease as she stood beside her husband. House, for his part, kept one hand on the small of Allison's back, his cane draped over his wrist, and the other guiding the joint tray toward the register. Stacy watched in slight shock as House reached into his back pocket and produced his black, leather wallet – pulling a twenty out and handing it to the young woman at the register.

Carrying the tray in one hand, he guided Allison to an empty table, placing the tray in the middle and taking a seat. Taking a bite into his Reuben, causing Stacy to smile at his lunch routine, he gestured to Wilson as he entered the cafeteria. Stacy watched the brief exchange between House, Wilson, and Cuddy – Wilson acknowledging House's request to join him before looking at Lisa and Stacy's table, brow raised as he sought permission. Lisa's nod was all too quick for Stacy, making her question her friend's motive.

"You didn't want James to join us?" The sound of Stacy's voice drew Lisa's attention from House's table.

"He wouldn't have been interested in our girl talk."

"Or you were worried House would have moved over here. Why didn't you want him to?"

"I was, I am, worried about how you will react to having a conversation with him. Your tone of voice and the way you haven't been able to avert your eyes from him since he entered the room has me questioning your motives, Stacy."

Stacy immediately began shaking her head at Lisa's accusation – she wasn't interested in the least bit about House's relationship. Or so she tried convincing herself.

"Let him go, Stacy. You have Mark and he has Allison. I don't know about you anymore, but he is very happy."

"I'm happy with Mark and I have no lingering feelings for House. I'm more curious than anything."

"Uh-huh," Lisa pushed her plate forward, yanking her pager from her pocket as it started beeping. "Want to do this again next week? I have to…"

"I know. Same day and time?"

"I'll call you." Lisa stood and began picking up her plate.

"I'll get it. Go." Lisa smiled her thanks before taking off toward the exit. Stacy smiled and began to stand, collecting hers and Lisa's plates before heading toward the woman washing dishes, taking a deep breath when she realized she would have to walk by House's table. Her attempt to hurry by before being recognized fell flat when Doctor Wilson called out to her.

"Stacy! How have you been?"

Putting on a brave face, Stacy sat the plates on the table beside Wilson. "Busy. I heard from Lisa that congratulations are in order."

"If she ever decides to plan the wedding."

"Who would think that she wouldn't be foaming at the mouth to be the tenth Mrs. Wilson?"

"Greg!" Allison's response was quick and accompanied by a hard, narrowing glare in her husband's direction.

"Third wife, House and she knew what she was doing before saying yes."

"It's a joke not a certain sex organ that belongs almost exclusively to men – don't take it so har –"

"Gregory House! Don't you have a patient you haven't checked on?"

"They ruin all the fun, and you're thinking about getting one." House rolled his eyes, grabbing his cane from where it hung on the back of his chair and using it to support himself as he stood.

"I'm not some dog you chose to adopt."

Stacy's gaze bounced from on Doctor House to the other as she witnessed what she believed to be an argument between the newlyweds.

"No," House bent to give Allison a kiss before heading toward the door, "You're much cuter."

"I should get back to work, too." Allison stood, a faint smile gracing her face.

"Oh, Ally, I have a patient coming in later I would like to get a consult on."

"Page me. It was good seeing you, Stacy."

Stacy nodded, watching as Allison left.

"Strange isn't it?" Wilson half-smiled as he popped a fry in his mouth.

"Never thought I'd see the day, but I also didn't ever imagine that you and Lisa would get engaged."

"We work together. I have even managed to get House to accept us."

"Really? He used to have a thing for her."

"No one but Ally exists to him anymore. It's refreshing."

"Gives you a break, huh?" Wilson's wry, crooked smile was all the answer Stacy needed, causing a dry chuckle from the woman.

"Before I go, Lisa seemed a little…off. Will you get her to have a check-up? She barely ate anything because she said her stomach was upset."

Wilson's furrowed brow made Stacy feel slightly better about Lisa's well-being – she was in good hands with him.

"I'll talk to her about it."

"Thank you, James. I'll talk to you later."

 _I got the first kiss, she'll get the last_

 _She's got the future and I got the past_

"Stacy! What are you doing here? Our lunch date isn't until Wednesday," Lisa exclaimed as she entered the clinic.

"I know," Stacy sniffled, "This cold started a few days ago, right after I left here – I think I may have caught what you had."

"Oh, I doubt that." Lisa shook her head adamantly as she began looking through patient files, trying to locate Stacy's.

"I've been feeling nauseated, too."

"Mine wasn't contagious."

"Are you sure?"

"Dr. Hall…diagnosed me and James double checked. Not contagious."

"Hmmph," Stacy crossed her arms, chewing on her bottom lip. "Don't dig for my file, Lisa. I'll wait just like everyone else."

Lisa sighed, taking a moment before turning to look at Stacy. "Doctor House is currently busy with a case, Stacy. Our _other_ Doctor House is the attending in the clinic today."

"I'm not here to see him, Lisa. I am here because I don't feel well and I trust your doctors, your hospital, more than any other."

"Just remember, Stacy, you have Mark…and House is happy for once. His pain isn't as bad as it was and he's finally off Vicodin."

"What? When did that happen?"

"Not long after he asked Allison to marry him. It was his wedding present to her. He knew she wanted him to quit so he went through detox and started seeing a therapist for her."

"That's…that doesn't sound like him at all."

"I'm just asking you, as a friend, please do not jeopardize his marriage."

Stacy gave a curt nod and began to open her mouth when one of the nurses spoke:

"Stacy Warner? Doctor House will be with you in a moment. If you could just follow me to an exam room."

"Be nice, Stacy," Lisa called out in warning, watching as her friend disappeared down the hall before turning and heading toward the elevator.

 _I got the class ring, she got the diamond and wedding band_

 _I got the boy and she got the man_

"Stacy has me on edge lately with the way she has been acting."

Sighing, Doctor Wilson glanced at his fiancée, finally diverting some attention from the papers that lay on his desk, "I haven't noticed a change in her behavior."

"You didn't notice House was dating Allison until they announced their engagement."

"In my defense, they never actually told anyone they were dating."

"No, but everyone knew. It was obvious."

"Why has Stacy's behavior been worrying you?" James decided to change the topic – his unawareness of his best friend's relationship status had been the butt of most jokes at PPTH for the well over a year now.

"The looks she gets every time I mention House and Allison – she looks jealous. She's in the clinic right now. I have a feeling it is only because she thought House was there. She looked disappointed when I told her that Allison was the attending." Lisa took a deep breath, her hand fluttering to her small stomach, and smoothing the wrinkles in her blouse.

"I think you're reading too much into this and worrying over nothing. It isn't good in your condition, honey."

"Don't start that, James. Please. I promise I am being careful."

"I'm just saying that House is a big boy – he can handle Stacy and what he can't handle, I'm sure Allison can."

"I don't know…I need to get back to the clinic."

James sighed, finally laying his pen down and really looking at his fiancée. "Stay for a few minutes. Allison can handle the clinic. You need lunch from the sounds of it."

An embarrassed smile crossed Lisa's face at the hungry grumbling sound of her stomach. Her barely touched lunch still lay on her desk where she had left it upon seeing Stacy sitting in the clinic waiting area. She sighed – she wanted to check up on Allison, but she knew she had to have something to eat. It wasn't just her health on the line anymore.

"Here or the cafeteria?" James questioned, not giving her a chance to weasel out of lunch.

"Here."

 _Yeah there's the old you that I knew_

 _Fake ID's to get into those spring break bars_

"Hi, I'm Doctor House and I will be…Stacy?" Allison looked up from the file in her hand to the older brunette sitting on the exam table.

"Allison," Stacy faked a smile, watching as the younger woman moved toward the stool by the table, gracefully taking a seat and crossing her long legs.

"Runny nose, sore throat, and itchy eyes?" Allison read from the chart she held, unsure as to how to begin with Stacy and so deciding on the safest route.

"What?" Stacy gave Allison a quizzical look at the reading of her symptoms before quickly recovering with, "Yes. For a week now."

"I see," Allison nodded, trying to hide her bemused smirk as she reached for a prescription pad. "Sounds like you're having a mild allergic reaction to something. I'll write a prescription for an antihistamine and you can be on your way."

"Thank you," Stacy mumbled, feeling her cheeks turning red at the way Allison had quickly dismissed her symptoms, making her feel rather foolish in the process. As Allison was scribbling on her prescription pad, Stacy suddenly doubled over, clutching her knee.

"What's wrong?" Allison demanded, dropping her pad and immediately giving her full attention to Stacy.

"My knee…it feels like something is breaking my bone. Is this part of an allergic reaction?"

"No, it isn't. I think I need to call in a consult."

 _Backwoods on a four wheel, hanging on tight_

 _I can still feel my racing heart_

 _And now you're cleaned up with a hair cut, nice tie and shoes_

 _If things were different and I had a choice,_

 _Which would I choose?_


	2. Chapter 2

Something to Talk About

Chapter Two:

"She Got the Man"

 _I got the first kiss and she'll get the last_

 _She's got the future, I got the past_

 _I got the class ring, she got the diamond and wedding band_

 _I got the boy, she got the man_

 _Jana Kramer, "I Got the Boy"_

"How are you feeling?" Allison asked as she entered room 214, causing Stacy to turn her attention from the window.

"Tired and my knee is throbbing. What is wrong with me?" Stacy's voice was flat, holding a hint of weariness.

"We still aren't sure. All the tests have been…inconclusive."

Stacy sighed in frustration, watching as Allison placed the ends of her stethoscope in her ears before moving to listen to Stacy's heartbeat. Stacy shivered when Allison asked her to sit up, placing the cool metal chestpiece against her back.

"Breathe in," Allison instructed, waiting a second before continuing with, "And breathe out."

"Your lungs sound fine," Allison stated, grabbing Stacy's chart from the foot of the bed and pulling an ink pen from her pocket. Chewing on her lip, she made a few quick notes before hanging the clipboard back on the bed.

"The only information I have for you at the moment is that you are severely dehydrated. This would explain any potential muscle pain, but it does not explain the joint pain in your knee. A nurse will be in, in a few minutes with a saline drip. We'll keep you on it until your levels are back to normal. Members of our diagnostic team will be in later today to provide a consult. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Is putting a saline drip on above your paygrade?" The sneer in Stacy's voice did not go unnoticed by Allison, causing a slight narrowing of her green eyes.

"Typically, the nurses are the ones who administer the saline drip and they are very good at what they do, but if you would prefer I do it myself, I can…"

"It's fine. When will Doctor House be in?" Stacy's eagerness to know when she would be seeing House had Allison internally shouting.

"Greg is not consulting on this case."

"You said you were consulting with the diagnostic team."

"I will be consulting with Doctors Kutner, Hadley, Foreman, Taub, and Chase. Greg and James are attending a conference in Chicago this week."

"How do you expect this to be effective? The diagnostic team has no boss and will be working on me?" Stacy's annoyance was starting to chip away at Allison's patience. It seemed that no matter what she did, Stacy was not happy.

"Doctor Foreman will be heading the diagnostic team in Doctor House's absence. You know as well as I do that Doctor Foreman is as good as House. You're in excellent hands, Stacy." Allison gave a small smile, trying to be as sincere as possible. "If there's nothing else, I have other patients I have to see."

Waiting a minute in silence, Allison decided that Stacy must finally be finished with her complaints and quickly exited the room. Stopping at the desk on her way off the floor, Allison asked the RN on duty to attend to Stacy as quickly as possible. Having finished with that, she made her way toward the clinic and Lisa's office, hoping that she would find her boss there.

"You have no clue how glad I am that I found you," Allison heaved a sigh of relief as she entered Lisa's office, noting that the older woman was in the process of stuffing scrambled eggs into her mouth.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with Stacy," Lisa immediately guessed what had one of her brightest doctors so flustered, "but I assumed you wouldn't want me to completely turn the case over to House."

"Thank you for that? She sounded upset about it, but I don't like the way she acts when she mentions Greg." Allison slumped into the chair in front of Lisa's desk.

"I was afraid of that," Lisa mumbled, stabbing her eggs with her fork.

"What?" Allison's gaze snapped to Lisa's and she tightened her grip on the arms of the chair in anticipation of what Lisa had to say.

"I thought she had been acting funny ever since she found out you and House had gotten married. James seemed to think I was worrying about nothing."

"What would he know? He tends to be…"

"Oblivious?" Lisa supplied before scarfing down the remainder of her breakfast.

"You said it," Allison laughed before releasing a sigh and sinking lower in her chair.

"I know that she's sick and needs to be here, but I don't like that she is."

"Allison, you have nothing to worry about. Stacy may or may not be done with House, but he is certainly done with her," Lisa assured, shoving the empty Styrofoam tray and plastic fork into the trashcan near her desk.

"I trust Greg, but it doesn't make seeing Stacy act this way toward him any easier." Allison began chewing her lip again, and picking at her nails.

"What are you going to do when House sees her?" Lisa picked her reading glasses off her desk, settling them on her face.

"I hope I'm able to discharge her before the week is over."

Lisa's attention snapped from her desktop to the younger woman sitting before her as a pensive look crossed her face. "James called me before you came in here. They aren't staying for the whole conference. They'll be back tonight. Didn't House call you?"

"He may have," Allison sighed heavily, "My phone is in my office. I've been with Stacy all morning. She has been an absolute terror to everyone. I think she got pissed at me because I said a nurse would administer her saline drip."

"Why would that upset her? She knows that is standard procedure." Lisa shook her head, returning her attention to the monitor on her desk and laying her fingers over the keys on the keyboard. A loud, obnoxious beep suddenly filled the room, interrupting the short amount of quiet in the two women's conversation. Yanking the small pager from the pocket of her lab coat, Allison groaned in frustration.

"It's Stacy."

"I'll walk with you," Lisa stated, laying her glasses on her desk as she stood from her seat. Allison slowly stood and made her way out of Lisa's office, slowing her step even further so that the other woman could catch up to her after locking her office door.

"Hopefully having you there will change her attitude," Allison mused, nodding politely to a young couple passing her in the hall.

"I hope she does. It would be awful if House found out from someone that she has been rude to you this whole time. That is one potential breakdown that I do not want on my hands."

"Maybe consulting his team wasn't such a good idea," Allison bemoaned, bringing a hand to her forehead and shaking her head in dismay.

"You did what was right for the patient. Don't worry yourself over that decision."

Allison gave Lisa a grateful smile, feeling somewhat calmer, as they entered Stacy's room. Stacy's attention snapped to the doctors when she heard the slight hum of the automatic doors sliding open.

"Isn't there anything you can do? My knee hurts." Stacy grimaced as she shifted her body, turning slightly to get a better look at Lisa and Allison.

"Let me have a look," Allison said, pulling a pair of exam gloves from the box hanging on the wall and stuffing her hands in the stretchy latex. Lisa quickly put gloves on herself as Allison was pulling the white sheet from Stacy's knee. Narrowing her eyes at the sight of the purplish, swollen skin covering Stacy's knee, Allison tenderly laid a finger on the joint.

"Ouch," Stacy whined, trying to pull her leg from Allison's touch, but being stopped by Lisa holding her leg down.

"Stacy, stop. She has to exam your knee." Lisa's voice was harsh – commanding as she gave Stacy a hard look.

"I don't care if she exams it, but tell her to stop squeezing."

"I'm not squeezing," Allison huffed, trying to gently move Stacy's leg to get a good look at the back of her knee.

"The fuck you aren't!" Stacy's loud shout drew an exasperated sigh from Lisa, whose attention had been divided between Allison's examination of Stacy and keeping Stacy from moving.

"Stacy, she isn't squeezing your leg. If you don't calm down, then I'm not going to have any other choice but to sedate you."

"If it will take away this pain, then fucking sedate me."

Jabbing the call button with her finger, Lisa quickly barked orders through the intercom, "I need 10 m/g Propofol in room 214 stat."

"You're really going to sedate her?" Allison questioned, dropping her hands from Stacy's knee and looking at Lisa.

"It's either that or we restrain her – sedation is the safer bet."

At that moment, a young RN came running into the room with a capped syringe in his hand. Moving toward the bed, he extended his hand to give the syringe to Lisa.

"Have you ever administered Propofol?" Lisa asked, not familiar with the young man before her.

"No." His answer was quick and he looked like he wished Lisa would hurry and take the syringe from him. Sighing, Lisa grabbed the syringe, removing the cap, she quickly pushed the needle through the skin of Stacy's hand, easily finding a vein and administering the drug. Within a minute, Stacy had closed her eyes and appeared to have drifted off into a deep slumber.

"What happened in here?" A thick Australian accent questioned as Lisa was disposing of the used syringe.

"Cuddy sedated her," Allison answered, quickly resuming her examination, gently bending Stacy's leg.

"Really?" Doctor Foreman sounded surprised as he yanked a pair of slightly too small gloves over his hands.

"She threw a fit the minute I touched her knee."

"Hmm…" Doctor Chase mused, moving closer to the patient bed with doctor Foreman to have a first-hand look at Stacy's leg.

"There's a lot of swelling." Foreman stated the obvious, causing both Allison and Lisa to roll their eyes.

"And discoloration," Chase chimed, "Have you done an X-ray?"

"Yes. No fractures or breaks."

"What about ligament or tendon damage?" Foreman asked, rolling Stacy's knee.

"I haven't ordered an MRI."

"She's probably strained a ligament – maybe even tore the patella. I'd do an MRI."

"I'll schedule one. Thank you," Allison said as both Chase and Foreman began removing their exam gloves and walking toward the door. Throwing his gloves in the metal trash bin by the small sink, Chase offered, "If you need us for anything else, just call."

Nodding her head, Allison followed Lisa out of the room and toward the nurse's station. Standing at the wooden desk, Allison asked one of the nurses to schedule an MRI for Stacy and wrote a prescription for Celecoxib – requesting that Stacy be given a dosage the minute the pharmacy had filled the prescription.

"Has Mark been to see her?" Allison questioned as she and Lisa began walking toward the cafeteria, noting that it was lunch time.

"I haven't seen him," Lisa furrowed her brows at that admission, "Or heard from him."

"I wonder if he knows where she is? Should we call him?"

"I'll give him a call after we eat." Lisa's mouth had begun to water at the strong aroma of food drifting toward the entrance to the large cafeteria.

"Lisa, are you okay?" Allison had never seen her boss make such a beeline for the cafeteria's slightly subpar food.

"I'm fine. Just hungry." Allison furrowed her brows as she quickened her pace to keep up with the other woman.

"I'm going to head to my office and call Greg."

"Go, go. My pager will be on," Lisa shooed the younger woman away, already eyeing a large slice of apple pie.

 _/I got the first kiss_

 _And she'll get the last/_

"I'm sorry. I was with a patient." Allison held the slim receiver to her ear, twirling the phone cord around her finger as she sat leaning back in the comfortable leather chair at her desk.

"Where was your phone?"

"In my office. I was with a patient."

"What patient was more important than me?"

"Stacy."

"What?" Stunned, Allison pulled the phone from her ear at House's loud screech.

"I'm treating Stacy."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were busy with the conference."

"Allison, we promised not to keep secrets from each other."

"I wasn't keeping a secret from you, Greg. You were busy with the conference."

"What's wrong with her?" Greg chose to ignore her comment, causing Allison to fidget. If Greg was ignoring a comment, it was because he didn't have anything nice to say and knew it would start a fight – he preferred to be face to face for those.

"We think she might have a strained ligament or torn patella. I'm waiting for the results from the MRI I just ordered."

"Who's we?" She sighed. Of course that would be the part of her narrative that he would focus on.

"Chase, Foreman, Cuddy, and myself."

"You're working with Chase?" For all the work he had been doing on himself, he still could not bring himself to be okay with any interactions between Allison and Chase. They had a history and, no matter how brief – a one-night stand once while she was high; he did not like them to near one another.

"Technically, I'm working with your team."

"Who approved that?"

"Lisa."

"I don't like the idea of any of you working with Stacy. She's –"

"Fucking nuts?"

"Synonymous with what I was going to choose. I'll allow it."

Letting a hearty laugh escape her lips at House's playfulness, Allison admitted, "I've missed you."

"It's been three days," House tsked.

"I've gotten used to you being around." A series of low beeps interrupted the conversation, letting Allison know that someone else was trying to reach her. "I have another call."

"Take it. And Ally?"

"Yes?"

"I missed you, too." On that note, House ended the call, leaving Allison with a giddy smile on her face as she switched lines.

"Doctor House."

 _/We each got something_

 _The other will never have/_

"Mark!" Lisa's smile was genuine as she rounded her desk, hugging the tall, slightly tanned man as he was shutting the door to her office.

"Hi, Lisa," Mark chuckled, awkwardly hugging the much shorter woman before she pulled away – Lisa had never been that touchy before.

"Sit." Lisa gestured toward the chairs in front of her desk as she was sitting back in her dark, black chair, eyeing the still steaming piece of apple pie that sat on her desk, along with vanilla ice cream and slices of pickles. Mark gave the odd concoction a mildly disgusted look as he sat.

"How's Stacy?"

"She's in a lot of pain – we still don't know why. They're doing an MRI right now. I'm glad you were able to make it so quickly."

"I was in the area."

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you she was coming here."

"We've been…separated."

"She never mentioned that."

"Her obsession with House was too hard for me to deal with. Since she chose to come here, I can see that her obsession has done little to dwindle." Mark fidgeted in his seat, adjusting the tie he wore.

"She's actually being treated by Doctor _Allison_ House. House is in Maryland with James for a medical conference." She decided it was best not to mention that the two men were on their way back.

"I don't want to see her, Lisa, but updates on her health would be appreciated."

"I hate seeing you two like this."

"It wouldn't have to be this way, and she can change the way it is, if she would just give him up."

"I think she will, Mark. She loves you and she loves who Greg used to be. She can't see that he's not that man anymore."

"I don't like playing second fiddle to anyone, Lisa. Past or present."

"Promise you won't give up on her?"

"I don't plan on doing that."

 _/I got the long hair, hot head_

 _She got the cool and steady hand/_

"Tiger Lily," Allison called to the large, grey tabby as she filled her bowl with food. The cat came running to her bowl before daintily nibbling at the morsels.

"You're getting fat," Allison chuckled, closing the cat food container and moving toward the glass of wine she had left sitting on the counter earlier. She carried the glass to the large, plush sectional, stopping to grab a book along the way. Snuggling into the sofa, she opened her book and settled in for the night.

 **BANG!**

The loud noise, followed by a mumbled, 'oh shit', had Allison bolting from her position on the sofa where she had fallen asleep hours earlier. Trying to keep her noise level to a minimum, she hurried to her bedroom where she kept the metal softball bat she used in the summer in her co-ed league. Gripping the bat, she shimmied up to the wall beside the white, wooden door, hoping the intruder would not enter her bedroom.

She could feel her heart beating in her chest as footsteps neared the room. She could have cursed at the cat, for lazily opening an eye and staring her down before going back to sleep in its soft bed that sat in the corner, or Greg for insisting on a cat rather than a dog because cats 'require less attention, dear'.

Holding her breath, she stepped back and positioned the bat, ready to swing, as the doorknob began moving. Swinging the metal bat when the door flew open, she collided with something solid. Both Allison and the intruder dropped what was in their hands upon contact and Allison's mouth formed a wide 'o' as the intruder fell to the ground, barely managing to strain:

"What the fuck?"

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! – C.**


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